Peace, Part II

PEACE

Part II

Philippians 4:7King James Version (KJV)

⁷ And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

This is where my #OneWord journey will begin.  I am looking to God for peace in the things I do not understand.

Jeremiah 29:11-13New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
     If He knows the plans for my life, then who am I to question those plans?  “Everything happens for a reason.”  I need to have PEACE in respecting that reason and believing that everything will turn out as it should and was scripted by God.
     There are so many unknowns in this crazy world.  I could chose to stress about them or I can choose to believe that everything will work out the way it should.
     These things I do know:

·       My marriage is stronger than it’s ever been.

·       We have three amazing children who have found their own passions.

·       We have a gorgeous granddaughter who is smart as a whip!

·       I am happier than I have ever been in my teaching career.

·       I work with an outstanding group of caring and compassionate individuals.

·       I have a close circle of friends and we have each other’s backs!

That being said, there are some things going on, professionally, that I do not have control over.  This is why I’ve chose PEACE as my #OneWord.  I need to be at PEACE and trust the journey.  I know that I am going to need to continue revisiting this post along the journey and digging deeper to find that PEACE for things I do not understand.

#OneWord

#OneWord

     I have made the decision to be a part of #oneword for the upcoming year.  The word I have chose to pursue, study, and to have as my mantra is “peace.”  My choice was very God-given!  When I read about this fairly new idea, the word came to me almost immediately.  I didn’t really have to think about it at all!

     There is so much in the world that is unknown, and that, quite frankly, I have no personal control over.  I could stress over it all or I could trust the journey.  I’m choosing to trust the journey.  For I know what I have planned for you,' says the LORD. 'I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope.

     Here’s what you need to do to choose your word:  pick your word, then go to this link and enter it.  http://getoneword.com/

More to come...

 

My "Why"

My “Why”

     Backstory:  A couple of weeks ago, I received a letter from one of the first students I had in kindergarten when moving to our current community.  It was so touching that I literally cried!  I contacted the student’s teacher and asked when their class goes to lunch, so I could surprise this student.  Working with her mom, I learned that her grandmother is in hospice.   Her mom called my previous school to give me permission to come at lunch.

     I walked into the lunchroom.  The class wasn’t there yet.  However, my last kindergarten class, now second graders, was.  I was greeted with lots of “Mrs. Jenkins!!” and one particular little girl jumped up from her seat and into my arms!  She said, “I thought you forgot about us!”  With tears in my eyes, I told her, “Never!”

     By this time, the sixth grade students had begun filing in.  I didn’t see my letter-writing friend, so I asked her teacher where she was.  Her teacher pointed to the lunch-from-home table.  As I walked over, she didn’t see me coming.  I sat down next to her.  She turned, her mouth dropped open, and she threw her arms around my neck and started crying!  Other students that I’d had in kindergarten came over and were giving me hugs and high-fives.  The whole time the young lady held on for dear life! 

     Friends!  This is my “why!”  This is why I do what I do and love what I do.  It’s about making a difference in the lives of my students!  When I needed that reminder the most, God provided it with all the love I was able to feel in that school cafeteria.  Lunch was supposed to be about the young lady.  However, my bucket was filled, as well!  I am so blessed!

Being Trauma-Informed

     It is rare, so very rare, when you hear someone speak and what he has to say touches your very soul.  I was blessed to have this experience Thursday, October 12^th, right here in Hutchinson, Kansas!  I didn’t even need to leave town.

     We were honored to have Mr. Jim Sporleder speak to the public.  Mr. Sporleder is a retired principal from Walla Walla, Washington.  Under Mr. Sporleder’s leadership, Lincoln High School, an alternative education school, became a Trauma-Informed school, gaining attention across the United States due to the dramatic drop in out of school suspensions, increased graduation rates and the number of students going on to post-secondary education.   Because of these changes at Lincoln High School, the successes caught the attention of Jamie Redford, who spent a year filming a documentary, Paper Tigers, which tells the story of Lincoln High School.

     In Jim’s talk on Thursday, he stated that, we, as educators need to break away from the tradition mindset of testing being tied to teacher evaluations and from the traditional, fear-based, forms of discipline, which only add to a student’s trauma and use fear to manipulate the situation.  He went on to say that our children are the most hurting population in our communities across the United States.  He says that people use punishment to cause pain and this type of action feeds into the cradle-to-prison pipeline.  He also stated that the children of affluent and middle class families are the most hurting.

     With regard to ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences), Mr. Sporleder says that these are hands no one should have to hold.  He went on to say that the ACEs pyramid (pictured below) is a very adequate predictor.

                                                                                                  

     When anyone experiences trauma, that person goes into a “flight-fight-freeze” mode.

·      Flight-Avoidance, anxiety, or fear.

·      Fight-Irritability, defensiveness, loss of temper

·      Freeze-numbing, detachment, giving up easily

When a person is exhibiting one of these responses to trauma, their brains go into a “survival mode,” and it is physiologically impossible for them to de-escalate.

     Mr. Sporleder said that the traditional way of discipline was that the behavior was recognized by the teacher, then the teacher reacted to that behavior, and this caused the student to escalate.  This is the type of reaction is the kind of reaction we need to break away from.  He said this is a dysregulated adult dealing with a dysregulated student.  As adults, we need to work at building caring relationships with our students.  To do this, Mr. Sporleder gave those in attendance the following keys:

·      We, as teachers, need to be self-regulated

·      A child’s behavior is a reaction to fear of failure

·      Intervention needs to be a calm, teachable moment

·      Approach the intent with a positive intent

     When dealing with a student who is experiencing trauma, the teacher needs to allow the student time to de-escalate and to self-regulate.  Ask the student what caused the behavior.  More often than not, the behavior has nothing to do with the current situation, but something happening outside the school setting.

     Trauma-Informed holds kids accountable to a higher level.  A caring adult give the child hope and helps them heal, when that adult is asking and responding, not reacting and telling.  The influence of one caring adult can change a life path for a child.  The unconditional love of that adult teaches love and forgiveness.  Being Trauma-Informed wipes out racial and social lines.  Mr. Sporleder says, “Being trauma-informed is not what we do, it’s who we are.”  He challenges us all to be that one caring adult for our kids.

     I will leave you with two quotes from the evening:

“You cannot reach 100% of your students, but you can love them all 100%.”

“Not every story can be a success story, but every story can be a love story.”

Expectations

     Recently, there has been a huge push, nationwide, to teach more and more academics to our youngest students, even if the expectations given to the teachers are not developmentally appropriate for the students entrusted to our care.  The push for academic excellence is starting younger and younger every year.  This is my 33rd year of teaching and the changes, quite frankly, are scary and unbelievable!  Kindergarten expectations are what first grade expectations were when I began my teaching career.  Now that I am teaching preschool, the expectations for my students used to be the expectations in kindergarten.  And so it continues.
     There is research out there that shows students that are frustrated will act out.  In an article written by Van Thompson in "Classroom" magazine, he states that students who don't understand the classroom concepts are more likely to act out, struggle controlling their impulses, tun out, and even exhibit mental health disorders.  Could it be that children are being expected to learn concepts that they are not developmentally ready to learn, that their young brains are still unable to comprehend?  I believe the emphatic answer to that is "YES!"  In some cases, not all, children act out because they simply don't get it.
     Case in point:  Many public school affiliated preschools are looking at implementing full-day preschool programs.  Why?  Because there is so much that these young children are expected to learn, that it can't be done in a half-day program.  I'm getting on my soap box here:  For crying out loud! Let them be little!!
     Even preschool is becoming data-driven and outcomes-based.  This is simply not fair, nor right, and not age-appropriate!  Preschoolers should not be expected to take computerized tests.  Quite frankly, they shouldn't be tested at all, but rather given exposure to lots of different things and the ability to explore.  They're only four!  This is what a preschooler needs:  They need to be able to run, play, talk, sing, explore, get along with others, and share.  As my amazing mentor, Sheri Kay Sitzman once told me, "Play is how children learn." Not though testing.  Not through academic expectations.  Through play!
     As well-known educator, Dr. Jean Feldman says, "When I hear stories about pushing academics in pre-k I have nightmares. Seriously! The crazy thing is decision makers have lost common sense when it comes to four year olds. And, somehow, we just can’t figure out BALANCE when it comes to early childhood. When they started pre-k in Georgia over 20 years ago they wouldn’t even let the teachers display alphabet letters in their classrooms. Anything academic was discouraged and PLAY was encouraged. What has happened? Where is all this leading???"  I have to agree!

Children Matter

     Recently, there has been much discussion on Adverse Childhood Experiences (or ACEs) and the effect of those early experiences on school-aged children.  Because of the child's adverse experiences outside of the school setting, children come to school not ready or able to learn.  They are too worried about what may be happening at home to even begin to concentrate on learning.
     This is why it is so vitally important to meet each child where they are.  Here are some basic ideas about how best to do this daunting, but necessary task:

• offer a comprehensive, systematic approach that groups identified protective factors for mental health.
• provide ideas for strengthening the protective factors that early childhood education and care services can influence to reduce the impact of risk factors.
• consider how relationships, the environment, policies, practices, events and children's development and learning influence the well-being of our children
• involve all members of the education and care community including children, educators, directors, families and external community services 

     Additionally, children need to be a part of a caring community.  They need the opportunity and guidance to develop appropriate social and emotional skills.  Parents and caregivers need to work together for what is best for the child.  If a child is experiencing mental health issues, that child needs to receive the help of a trained professional in the mental health field.
     In order to teach the whole child, we, as educators, need to meet each and every  child where they are, not where we wish they were.

It's All About Relationships

     .....especially in PreK.
     In many ways, teaching preschoolers is like having two classes, the precious children AND their parents.  For many parents, this is their first experience with the public school system.  As their child's teacher, it is my job to help them navigate that new world.  This is a task that I DO NOT take lightly! Building relationships with those families is of the utmost importance to me!  If the relationship is intact, the teaching is the easy part.
     Building relationships with my students has always been critical to me.  Children learn better when they feel safe and valued.  I spend the first couple of weeks setting the routines and procedures, as I'm sure all professional educators do.  What I also teach, and build on for the rest of the year, is the safety and valued piece.  We talk about being a good friend, conflict resolution, and a wide variety of social skills. 
     There is a great educator, who was gone too soon, that sums it up best for me.  She said, "Kids don't learn from people they don't like."  I love her!!  Please enjoy this clip.https://www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion/transcript?language=en

Communicating With Parents

     As a new school year rapidly approaches, I thought I would share with readers my thoughts on communicating with the parents of the students who will be entrusted to my care in the upcoming school year.  Hold on to your hats!  Some of you will not agree with me.  I'm telling you, this works for me.  It may be outside your comfort zone and that's okay.
     Each year, after I get my long awaited for class list, I call the parents of my new students.  I use this call to introduce myself as their child's teacher for the upcoming school year, ask if they have any questions or concerns before school starts, invite them to Back-to-School Night, and ask if there is anything they would like to tell me about their child.  I feel like this helps to get the school year off on a positive note.
     In addition, I give parents my cell phone number.  I know many of you are cringing at this, so hear me out!  I tell parents that I will only respond after 6 a.m. and until 9 p.m., and not while I'm teaching.  To assure this is followed, I turn off the volume on my phone.  Outside of the time constraints, parents are welcome to leave a message.  I have unlimited calling and texting.  In one instance, I had a mom call and leave a message at 1 a.m.  The student's grandmother was being life-flighted and mom wanted me to know that her child had had a short night and would need some extra TLC.  It's about building connections, people!  Honestly, in the eight years I've been doing this, not once has a parent abused calling my phone.  The fact that it's a cell phone makes tracing it to my home address nearly impossible.
     Another way of keeping the lines of communication open is through Facebook.  Nearly all of the parents have this already.  I make the setting for our class Facebook group "secret" so that no one outside of the group can see what is posted by me or by other group members.  This comes in very handy for posting reminders, giving new information, and sharing pictures or articles.
     While I also speak to parents in face-to-face conversations and newsletters and notes home, I feel these other forms of communication adds to and helps to build those crucial family relationships.

Reflection on Year #32

     This school year, I took a step out of my comfort zone of the past five years and asked for an inner-district transfer from Kindergarten to Preschool.  This included a change of school buildings, as well.  Looking back, this move was completely a God-thing!
     This past school year has been nothing but blessings! 
     The first blessing is a non-material blessing in the form of our classroom aide.  She has the logic where I have the determination to stay the course.  Sometimes I had to let the plans go and just let the students go outside and be kids.  She saw that when I was being bull-headed and wanting to teach.  In addition, our aide could have taught the class, and sometimes did!  She was a God-send and I am looking forward to her being in our class again next year!
     The second blessing was a kind, caring, and compassionate team of teachers. I  knew there were many out there, but to have a group such as the one I worked with this past year, all in one place, was life-changing.  The things these teachers do, day in and day out, for their students is inspiring!
     The third blessing was being given free-range, with the exception of the district phonics program, to do whatever I thought was best for my students.  Our students learned without even knowing they were learning!  Not only that, they learned to be kind to one another.  This was evidenced in the end-of-the-year assessments.  Such growth in the students!
     Last, but certainly not least, the relationships!  The relationships with the students.  Such an amazing group of "littles." Their parents.  Open communication with parents of students through phone calls, texting, a private Facebook group, monthly newsletter, other notes home, and face-to-face communication built relationships that will last way past their child's classroom experience.  Relationships with the faculty.  I've been awarded the opportunity to work,on  a daily basis, with truly amazing, edgy, caring people.  All of these people have made me excited to come to work each day.  I thank them all!
     After thirty-two years of teaching, I can honestly say I am renewed and inspired.  The best is yet to come!

I Wish...

I Wish…

(When I say “students” or “parents,” I am speaking from 30+ years in education, not necessarily just the present)

I wish that the politicians making decisions about education understood the magnitude of the damage they are doing to the youngest and most vulnerable of our population.

I wish that those who make decisions about curriculum would understand developmentally appropriate practices.

I wish that my students could remain young and innocent.

I wish people would understand the importance of outdoor play and that my students didn’t spend so much time on a screen and more time playing cards and board games with their families.

I wish some of my students hadn’t had the experiences that make them act out and become so angry.

I wish my students could experience family mealtime with no background noise and all family members sitting at the table, talking about their day.

I wish my students were read to every day.

I wish parents didn’t think, or say, “It’s only preschool.” Or “It’s only kindergarten.”

I wish people didn’t think “all you do is play all day.”  There is very important learning of social skills that can only be experienced through play, as well as brain growth through using their imaginations.

I wish none of my students ever had to experience Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).

I wish none of my students had to live in poverty.

I wish my “littles” would never see inappropriate-for-their-age movies or video games.

I wish my students had chores.

I wish my students weren’t “bubble-wrapped.”  Failure is always a learning experience.  Children who are not allowed to fail will never know what it’s like to experience success after working hard to accomplish a task.

I wish my students didn’t have TVs in their bedrooms and were able to calm themselves to sleep.  Reading to a child and talking about their day is very calming.  So is soothing, instrumental music.

I wish my four and five year-olds didn’t know what “the middle finger” was.

I wish parents understood that sometimes the things they see and hear at home sometimes scare their children.

I wish people believed that I know what I’m talking about, and listen to what I have to say.  I do have a double major in Elementary and Early Childhood Education and a masters in Education, plus 31+ years of experience.

I wish that others understood that while I have, and have had, two classes, that I have the largest number of students to impact on a daily basis. At one point in my career, two classes of 21.  That’s 42 students…every day.

I wish the families understood that I welcome the opportunity to see each of them, even after they are no longer in my class.  It is not in my DNA to turn my love for them off at the end of the school year.

I wish my students could know how very much I love them, each for their own unique qualities.

 

Why I Am NOT Counting Down

     Don't ask me how many days of school are left.  I don't know and I don't want to know.  This school year, I made a change.  I left a kindergarten position I had been in for five years.  I also left a building and staff that I was very familiar with and many people that I love.  Why?  I needed a change.  I needed the chance to spread my tired old wings and do something different.  I am so very thankful I was given that opportunity!
     Last Spring, I asked for a transfer to another building in the district and the chance to teach Preschool again.  Not only did I meet AMAZING teachers and support staff in my new building, but I rediscovered my passion for teaching!  I've had the opportunity to partner with many amazing families in helping their children become Kindergarten-ready.  Challenging?  Yes!  Sometimes heart-breaking?  Yes!  Rewarding?  A thousand times YES!
     I feel like the act of counting down to the end of the school year may cause some anxiety in some of my students.  When school is out, their routine and schedule will dramatically change.  They won't have the consistency of our daily classroom routine.  For some little ones, this is scary and they don't know how to voice their concerns yet.
     Selfishly, I'm not ready to know how many more days I have with them.  I have watched them change so much this year.  No longer are they the shy, scared children I got last August.  Now, they are confident, well-spoken people and ready, so ready, for kindergarten, but I don't want them to go.  I'm not ready...even if they are!

Parents Are Their Child's First Teachers

     While I would be the first person to tell you how important committed, compassionate, and knowledgeable teachers are in the life of a child, parents are the child's very first, and far more important, teachers.  Parents are the people responsible for instilling behaviors, good or bad in our children, not schools. Think about this:  A teacher is with their for about seven hours a day, five days a week, for about 30 weeks a year. That is not enough time to teach them how to behave on top of teaching them the curriculum.  Do teachers still teach school expectations and the rules?  Of course we do!  Every social setting has different norms of acceptable behavior and schools are no different.  That being said, parents are still responsible for teaching their children acceptable behaviors.
     Parents.  You are not your child's best friend.  You are a parent.  Your job is to instill good behaviors and morals and enforce the rules.  A best friend is a person who supports you in good times and bad but does not hold you accountable for your actions or discipline you. Parents are the ones who should hold their children accountable for their actions.  When parents choose not to follow rules, procedures, and expectations they are teaching their children that the rules don't apply to them or that given scenario and that is a disrespect of authority and social norms.
     Learned helplessness in a child, most times, is the fault of the parent.  While it's very easy to say, "Just let me do it."  In class, failure is embraced.  Failure is a learning opportunity to learn.  The age-old adage, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try, again." teaches a child to persevere.  Failure is part of growing up and kids need to learn to fail, then pick themselves up, brush themselves off and try again. They need to figure out how to follow instructions and they need to figure out what steps to take when they are not given instructions but simply a task to accomplish.
     When your child reaches school-age, please be your child's advocate.  You know your child best.  However, it is also important to Support your child's teacher by listening to them and understanding what they say about your child because your child may behave differently out of your presence than they do in it.  I know mine did.     
     When a teacher tells you about something abut your child, you should not ask your child if what their teacher is saying is true. You may think you are involving your child in the discussion, but what you have actually done is to question that teacher's reliability to their face. Think of it from the teacher's perspective. You have essentially told them that you won't believe what they just told you until your child confirms it.  When you contradict or question your child's teacher in front of your child, you are telling your child that the teacher's authority is not to be respected.
     Parents are doing a huge disservice to their kids. We are raising a generation of children who are going to be incapable of succeeding in the modern era. They are being taught to only think of themselves and to give up, sometimes before even trying.  Your job, as a parent is to set an example and teach your children the important lessons of life. Your child's teachers can supplement your lessons, but you are the ones who your kids will imitate, so give them something good to imitate.

Let's Talk About Playing

     So much on my mind, I just need to get it out there!
     The benefits of playing are the most important aspects of a child's young mind.  In playing, children develop the skills of problem-solving, cooperation, verbal and non-verbal communication, and their sense of curiosity.  They learn the important skills of taking turns, sharing, and getting along with others.  They learn to negotiate and to communicate with those around them.  Additionally, young children develop their fine and gross motor skills through play.
     Last week, I met in a vertical team meeting with kindergarten teachers to discuss what they wanted our preschoolers to know coming in to kindergarten.  Would you like to know what they said?  They said, "We want them to be able to play cooperatively."  That was the number one skill on their list!
     In an article by Gary Direnfeld, a social worker from Canada, this is the breakdown of the changes and challenges to parenting in the past 70 years:
To know what we can do differently, we first need to appreciate what’s creating challenges of children’s behavior and undermining a parent's authority. This brief history of the world is needed – or at least a brief history of the past 70 years. It goes like this:

• 1950’s: Intact two parent families with a primary breadwinner and a primary homemaker;

• 1960’s: Women’s Movement begins and gender equality begins to be examined publicly;
• 1970’s: No-fault divorce appears in many jurisdictions, divorce rate begins to climb;
• 1980’s: Praise your kids was the new mantra in parenting;
• 1990’s: As the economy tanks and rebounds, good paying jobs go and more families require two income earners. At issues is latch key kids;
• 2000’s: From computers in bedrooms, to video games to the introduction of the iPhone and then android operating system, technology consumes our attention and this generation;
• 2010’s: Technology abounds and usage has increased throughout all age groups, right down to infants with strollers adapted to hold iPads and wristbands to count our every step. We tell children the world is a dangerous place and they need to stay electronically tethered to stay safe. We wonder why children generally are more anxious than ever before.

     In the eyes of a young child, there is less support, supervision, and the transfer of values and morals by face-to-face communication.  Parents and children may be close in proximity, but not really communicating.  This is all crucial to children feeling safe and secure, loved, and valued as an individual.  Direnfeld also says that parents don't hold children as accountable as they did before, some believing that their children can do no wrong.  Because of this, a child's mental health is at risk.
     Parents may feel embarrassed or guilty about their child’s behavioral issues and also fear being blamed. Parents and teachers are argue against each other as schools try to manage the repercussions of all this in the classroom and parents seek to hold the educational system accountable to socialize their kids.
     Direnfeld goes on to say that in his practice he sees that we have a generation of rudderless disconnected kids. Of course in this context the usual parenting strategies become ineffective. To begin with, our children don’t recognize our authority and many harbor an unstated resentment for our lack of connection. It comes out as behavior. Thus when we seek to punish, take things away, badger and discipline, from the child’s perspective we are only widening the disconnect and escalating the resentment.
     Direnfeld suggest these practices to re-connect parents and their children:

1. Turn off your technology when you walk though the door. Hunt your child down and give them a kiss hello before anything else.
2. Have technology free periods of the day/week with your child.
3. Count the number of times you have a meal with your child. Going back some 50 years, and out of 21 opportunities a week, the number back then would have been near 21. Whatever your count, consider how you can increase it.
4. Take your child’s face gently and directly between your hands and tell your child outright, you love her/him. Do so daily.
5. Keep the tablet or smart phone out of the bedroom at least at bedtime. Buy an old fashioned alarm clock if needed.  (I had a student tell me that after the parents had gone to bed, this student got back out of bed and turned the movie that was being watched, back on.  This child said that was why he/she was so tired.  I didn't have a TV in my room until I was in high school!  Children need to learn how to self-comfort, not go to sleep to the TV or a movie.)
6. Resist consumer purchases when begged by your child or if to assuage your guilt. Instead, spend time with your child when you feel triggered to make a purchase on their behalf.
7. When your child acts inappropriately, think less about the consequence you will levy and the fight to hold them accountable and think more about sharing a little disappointment and that you think they are better than that. Let your child know you love him or her but that seeing the misdeed makes you feel sad. Do not come from a place of anger or hostility, but concern and love. Label your feelings so that your child may come to understand his or hers. Connect emotionally.

     The challenges parents are facing today are recognizing and working in the midst of the what has become the norm in many homes and not being driven off course by the resistance of the child who may not want to give up the trappings of an indulged lifestyle. It is as if the child needs to learn that good relationships and emotional connections really do feel better than stuff or things.
     Being connected to your kids through direct contact is key.  With an intact and meaningful connection, parents may not even need many of the discipline strategies we used to talk about. We will have settled the unrest and negative behaviors affecting so many children today. 

Technology and the Developing Child

     Technology is the future.  I cannot argue that.  What I can argue is the amount of time young children spend using that technology.
     According to an article written by Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, technology can be like digital heroin.  Children as young as three and four years of age are getting so wrapped up, focused, on digital games that they are losing interest in developmentally appropriate activities.  They want so desperately to reach that next level, capture that next gem, the list goes on, also leading to an increase in unacceptable behavior problems.
     According to Dr. Kardaras's research, "Many parents intuitively understand that ubiquitous glowing screens are having a negative effect on kids. We see the aggressive temper tantrums when the devices are taken away and the wandering attention spans when children are not perpetually stimulated by their hyper-arousing devices. Worse, we see children who become bored, apathetic, uninteresting and uninterested when not plugged in."
     He goes on to say that, " We now know that those iPads, smartphones and X-boxes are a form of digital drug. Recent brain imaging research is showing that they affect the brain’s frontal cortex — which controls executive functioning, including impulse control — in exactly the same way that cocaine does. Technology is so hyper-arousing that it raises dopamine levels — the feel-good neurotransmitter most involved in the addiction dynamic — as much as sex.
     This addictive effect is why Dr. Peter Whybrow, director of neuro-science at UCLA, calls screens “electronic cocaine” and Chinese researchers call them “digital heroin.” In fact, Dr. Andrew Doan, the head of addiction research for the Pentagon and the US Navy — who has been researching video game addiction — calls video games and screen technologies “digital pharmakeia” (Greek for drug).
     That’s right — your kid’s brain on Minecraft looks like a brain on drugs. No wonder we have a hard time peeling kids from their screens and find our little ones agitated when their screen time is interrupted. In addition, hundreds of clinical studies show that screens increase depression, anxiety and aggression and can even lead to psychotic-like features where the video gamer loses touch with reality."
     What can parents do?"  Parents who are constantly busy with their devices are also unknowingly having an effect on their child’s brain development. A parent who is permanently distracted by their tablet or phone is more likely to ignore their baby’s cues, and this can lead to the connection between parent and baby being lost. This back and forth engagement is an important part of secure attachment, which is critical for healthy brain development in children.
     The key is to prevent your 4-, 5- or 8-year-old from getting hooked on screens to begin with. That means Lego instead of Minecraft; books instead of iPads; nature and sports instead of TV. If you have to, demand that your child’s school not give them a tablet or ChromeBook until they are at least 10 years old (others recommend 12).  Have honest discussions with your child about why you are limiting their screen access. Eat dinner, at the table, with your children without any electronic device.     
      Liz Senior was recently interviewed on Carte Blanche for the ‘Techno Tots’ feature, which examined the impact that technology can have on children’s development. “While children may learn something from watching or interacting with a screen, the fact remains that children learn best when they experience the real three-dimensional world. Feeling, touching, seeing, moving, problem-solving and connecting with others is where children learn best,” she says.
Other negative consequences of too much technology include:
· Low tone and weak core muscle development
· Gross motor problems
· Obesity
· Weak social skills
· Concentration issues
· Lack of imagination and creativity
· Poor problem-solving skills
· Limited lateral thinking ability
· Impatience and aversion to hard work
· A constant need for instant gratification.
These suggestions are from Clamber Club’s top tips for responsible child technology usage:
1. Limit the quantity
     As a rule of thumb, children aged 2-5 years should have no more than one hour a day of screen time. Children aged 5-18 years should have a maximum of two hours per day. This includes all screen time – tablets, TVs and phones.
2. Set boundaries
     Don’t allow phones or tablets at the dinner table, and have set screen-free times for the family (parents included). Ban screen time before bedtime as it stimulates brain activity, and definitely don’t allow a TV in your child’s bedroom.
3. Monitor content
     Make sure the content is age-appropriate and reflects your child’s experiences in the real world. Violent programming is a definite no-no. Choose interactive programmes, apps and games that encourage your child’s participation. Content should also be wholesome, share your values and show positive interactions between characters on the screen.
4. Participate and engage
     Instead of always using screen time to keep children quiet and occupied, share the experience with them wherever possible. Engage with your child, take an interest in what he is watching or playing, and join in when you can.
5. Become a tech role model


     Spending all your free time on your phone and/or in front of the TV will send very mixed messages to your children about healthy technology usage. Instead, dedicate portions of your evenings or weekend to family time without technology – play cards and board games, build puzzles, cook and bake together, play outdoors with a ball, visit a nearby park, tell stories and read together. That way, not only will you be helping your child to develop into a healthy, well-rounded individual, but you’ll be giving yourself some much needed ‘off’ time too!